Artificial pitcher for practicing the hitting skill of baseball

ABSTRACT

An artificial pitcher for practicing the hitting skill of baseball includes an artificial pitcher on a support and having a ball holder on top, a main spring biased a stroke which are held by a hook on a hollow interior cylindrical main body, and a control device positioned remote from the pitcher having a rope to control the hook to release the stroke to hit a baseball from the ball holder flying to a batter. In order to pitch a transforming ball, an angular adjustment plate is positioned beside the main body to help the main body to adjust its angle of elevation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to sports supplies and more particularlyto an artificial pitcher for practicing the hitting skill of baseballwhich facilitate the batter to hit at a predetermined distance and theartificial pitcher pitches along with a parabola or straight line and/ora transforming ball.

The baseball game is one of the group sports. Both the pitcher and thebatter must have their basic skill. The whole team must also have thetacit understanding an amateurish batter after needs to practice thehitting skill at a business practicing site to practice by paying thefees because he can't having a huge sized automatic pitcher.

So the producer is then manufactured a handy, portable vertical pitchingmachine which is able to vertically pitch the ball and the batter has tostand close to the pitcher to hit the ball to practice the battingskill. Due to that this pitcher can't pitch the transforming ball, thebatter can't improve his batting skill to cope with the real situation.Later, a pitching toy appears in the market. This pitching toy has tohold by hands. So this toy not better than that pitches by a man.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention has a main object to provide an artificial pitcherfor practicing the hitting skill of baseball which can simulate thepitching along a parabola and adjust the angles of elevation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an artificialpitcher for practicing the hitting skill of baseball which can pitch thetransforming ball and/or the straight ball for improving the batter'shitting skill.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide anartificial pitcher for practicing the hitting skill of baseball which iscollapsible and portable so it enables one main operation.

Further object of the present invention is to provide an artificialpitcher for practicing the hitting skill of baseball which enables thebatter performing a left or right hittings.

Accordingly, the artificial pitcher of the present invention comprisesgenerally:

a support disposed on the ground,

a pitching device pivoted to the top of the support, an angle adjustmentplate to facilitate the pitching device to adjust the angles ofelevation, and having a spring biased a stroke inside the device, atread rod and a hook on an outer periphery controlled by a small spring,a stopping rod holds the hook, a baseball holder on the top of thepitching device,

a control device at a batter place having a tread plate to actuate arope to release the hook such that the stroke under the resilient forceof the spring strokes the baseball from the holder flying to the batterzone while the batter hitting the baseball to practice his hittingskill. The pitcher can serve transforming ball because the baseballholder and the pitcher are adjustable.

The present invention will become more fully understood by reference tothe following detailed description thereof when read in conjunction withthe attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view to show the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention,

FIG. 2 is a plane view of the artificial pitcher of the presentinvention,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a plane view to show that the pitcher is adjusted a slantangle,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view that a stroke is pressed downward and held bya hook,

FIG. 6 is a plane view to show that a baseball is pitched and flied tothe batter,

FIG. 7 is a plane view to show the adjustment of a ball holder to oneside,

FIG. 8 is a plane view to show that a transforming ball is pitched up,

FIG. 9 is a plane view to show an alternate arrangement of the ballholder,

FIG. 10 is a side view of FIG. 9,

FIG. 11 is a plane view to show another alternative arrangement of thecontrol device, and

FIG. 12 is a sectional view to show a change of the main spring from thehollow interior cylindrical body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the drawings and initiated from FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, apreferred embodiment of the artificial pitcher of the present inventioncomprises generally a rectangular support 10, an artificial pitcher 20and a control device 30.

The support 10 has a plurality of legs 11 on underside insertible into apasture or a ground, a lug 12 on a top having a pair of aligned throughholes 121 (as shown in FIG. 3), a semi-circular angular adjustment plate13 uprightly disposed on a top abutting the lug 12 having an arcuateslot 14 therein and a rope 31 coming from a control device 30.

The artificial pitcher 20 has a hollow interior cylindrical main body 21having a transverse tube 22 on lower end engaged within the lug 12 androtatably secured by a bolt 23, a transverse rod 201 on a lowerperiphery slidably engaged into the slot 14 of the semi-circular angularadjustment plate 13 and operated by an eccentric handle 15, a stoppingrod 206 on a lower periphery opposite to the transverse rod 201, aroughly L-shaped hook 202 pivoted to an axle rod 203 and held by thestopping rod 206 and having a hook head 204 on the top, a verticallymoved lower end 205 connected to the rope 31 and a spring 207 having alower end connected to a transverse portion of the L-shaped hook and anupper end connected to a small protrusion on a lower outer periphery ofthe main body 21, a pair of slits 24 in opposing periphery of the mainbody 21, a main spring 25 biasing a stroke 26 inside the main body 21, atread rod 27 and a catch rod 28 projected outward from opposingperipheries of the stroke 26 and slidable in the slits 24, a horizontalplate 208 having a central hole connected to the top of the main body21, an outer spring 29 wrapped on an outer periphery of the main body 21biased between the horizontal plate 208 and the tread rod 27 and a ballholder 40 having central bore engaged with central hole 42 of thehorizontal plate 208 and secured to the horizontal plate 208 by a pairof bolts 41 and a pair of butterfly nuts 44 through the adjustable slots43 and a guide stripe 211 beside a slit 24 to cope with a bearing 271 ofthe tread rod 27 to balance the tread rod 27.

A control device 30 disposed away from the artificial pitcher 20 in apredetermined distance having a rectangular base 32 which has aplurality of legs 42 insertible into a pasture or a ground, a treadplate 33 on a top biased by a spring (not shown) so the tread plate 33may conduct a lever activity, a rope 31 having on end connected to anunderside of the tread plate 33 and the other end connected to the hookof the artificial pitcher 20.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, based on the above discussed structure,in operation, first tread the tread rod 27 downward until the catch rod28 reach the hook 202 while the hook head 204 under the pressure of thecatch rod 28 slightly moved backward then move forward to hold the catchrod 28 therein and then put a baseball into the holder 40 such that theartificial pitcher 20 is ready to pitch. This time the user has to rushto the control device 30 to tread the tread plate 33, the rope 31 becometensed to drag the hook 202 to leveredly release the catch rod 28 suchthat the stroke 26 under the resilience of the spring 25 makes a goodstroke to hit the baseball flying out of holder 40 to the batter whohits the baseball to the field.

The angle of elevation of the artificial pitcher can be adjusted byunfastening the eccentric handle 15 to allow the transverse rod 201 toslide about the arcuate slot 14 of the angular adjustment plate 13 toseek for a predetermined angle of elevation for the artificial pitcher20 then fastening the eccentric handle 15 so that the pitcher 20 becomesslant relative to the upper surface of the rectangular support 10.

Normally, the stroke 26 is struck the center of the baseball 50 which isflying along a parabola line without rotation. This is so called anormal pitching. If unfastens the butterfly nut 44 and displaces theball holder 40. Then fastens butterfly nut 44. The baseball 50 insidethe ball holder becomes eccentric (as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8). Thistime, the stroke 26 strikes a side of the baseball 50 which becomesrolling and rolling that likes a transforming pitching.

This artificial pitcher is portable if sliding the pitcher 20 close tothe rectangular support 10. Because of its simple structure, it is easyto collapse, easy to maintain and easy to display so it is durable.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, an alternate ball holder 60 is provided.This ball holder 60 has a pair of positioning transverse slots 64spacedly formed in opposing peripheries for alternately positioning aroughly U-shaped displacement plate 61 by a pair of butterfly headedbolts 63 by which the baseball 50 can be put at the center of the ballholder 60 or at one side of the holder 60.

FIG. 11, provides another alternate arrangement which adopts an electricappliance 70 instead of the control device 30. The electric appliance 70may be a motor or an electronic switch which has a projection on the topto actuate the hook 202 to hold or to release the stroke 26 as does bythe rope 31. To operate of this electric appliance 70, the batter mayhold a remote sensor on hand.

Referring FIG. 12, when changes the main spring 25, for preventing thespring 25 from injuring people, the stroke 26 my directly stretch upwardand ball holder 40 directly fix to top of the stroke 26, the hollowinterior cylindrical main body 21 has on the top a stop ring 209 whichis elastic and stops the ball holder 40 from downward movement. The userby utilizing the upper resilient force to pitch normally the baseball 50from the ball holder. Then safely change the spring 25.

Note that the specification relating to the above embodiment should beconstrued as an exemplary rather than as a limitative of the presentinvention, with many variations and modifications being readilyattainable by a person of average skill in the art without departingfrom the spirit or scope thereof as defined by the appended claims andtheir legal equivalents.

1. An artificial pitcher for practicing the hitting skill of baseballcomprising: a rectangular support having a plurality of legs onunderside insertible into a pasture and a ground, a lug on a topincluding a pair of aligned holes, a semi-circular angular adjustmentplate uprightly disposed on a top abutting the lug including an arcuateslot in whole body; an artificial pitcher having a hollow interiorcylindrical main body which has a transverse tube on lower end engagedwithin said lug and rotatably secured by a bolt, a transverse rod on alower periphery slidably engaged in the arcuate slot of saidsemi-circular adjustment plate and operated by an eccentric handle, astopping rod on a lower periphery opposite to the transverse rod, aroughly L-shaped hook on a lower periphery held by said slopping rod anda small spring connected to a transverse portion of the L-shaped and asmall projection and having a hook head on top and plane portion atouter end of a transverse potion, a pair of slits in opposingperipheries of the main body, a main spring biasing a stroke inside themain body, a tread rod and a catch rod projected outward from opposingperipheries of said stroke sliding in the slits respectively, ahorizontal plate including a central hole connected to a top of the mainbody, an outer spring wrapped on an outer periphery of the main bodybiased between the horizontal plate and the tread rod, a ball holder onthe top having a central bore engaged with the central hole of thehorizontal plate and a pair of slots in bottom secured to the horizontalplate by a pair of bolts and butterfly nuts, and a guide stripe beside aslit to cope with a bearing of the tread rod for balancing the treadrod; a control device positioned away from the artificial pitcher havinga rectangular base which has a plurality of legs insertible into apasture and a ground, a tread plate biased by a spring on a top of thebase and a rope having one end connected to an underside of the treadplate and another end connected to the hook of said artificial pitcher;whereby, to tread the tread plate to tense the rope which actuate thehook to release the stroke to stroke a baseball from the ball holderflying to the control device.
 2. The artificial pitcher as recited inclaim 1, further has an alternate ball holder having a pair ofpositioning transverse slots respectively formed in opposing peripheriesfor positioning a U-shaped displacement plate which is fastened by apair of butterfly headed nuts through said transverse slots.
 3. Theartificial pitcher as recited in claim 1, further has an electricappliance instead of the control device having a projection on top foractuating the hook of said hollow interior cylindrical main body of saidpitcher.